Custos Shorts
by Jedipati
Summary: Short One Shots from the world of my story Custos. All are prompts from my tumblr.
1. Chapter 1

Prompt for this chapter: Something in the Custos universe, featuring Imperial Obi-wan getting used to his new (and old) roles? Please?

(This one might become a longer fic. If that happens, I'll still leave this snippet here, though.

* * *

Obi-Wan was most comfortable on the bridge of a Star Destroyer. It was a sad legacy of three years of war, followed by nearly a year of pain and then five years acting as a hidden guardian.

He wasn't comfortable with large groups of civilians anymore. Here, on a the bridge of his flagship, the _Relentless_ , he was comfortable and relaxed, even as they were about to go into battle

Around him, his crew was professional, reporting to him or the captain as the situation warranted. He didn't smile, because this wasn't the time or place, but he found himself in a better mood. He nodded as they exited hyperspace. "Captain," he said. "Launch the fighters."

The bridge exploded into battle activity as the small rebel taskforce realized they were there. General Kenobi turned and began to issue orders. This was something he could do well.

Obi-Wan hid a scowl with his drink as he watched a good portion of the Imperial Court as they oh-so-politely jockeyed for position. It was one of the many balls that the Empress had to put on every year. He was pretty sure this one was related to the first Emperor's death, but he wasn't too interested in the reasons it was being held.

He stood up and ran and unneeded hand down his formal clothes. He should probably give the Empress his formal regards, for all that he had spent several hours in her company earlier today, playing with her children and talking about the state of the rebellion.

He approached the small dais where the Empress and the Emperor-Consort were greeting guests and bypassed the line of beings waiting. There were perks to being considered family, after all.

The Emperor-Consort took one look at him and bit his lip in amusement. Trust Anakin to recognize when Obi-Wan would really rather be elsewhere.

"Your Majesty," Obi-Wan said as he bowed.

"General Kenobi," Empress Padmé Amidala said with a smile. "Join us," she ordered.

With a mental sigh, Obi-Wan stepped onto the dais and flanked her, on the opposite side from Anakin.

"I would like to thank you, General, for the victory over Rodia last week," Padmé said, using her "official" voice. "It is a shame that the Rebels won't see reason."

"You are quite welcome, Your Majesty," Obi-Wan said. He hated this. Pretending to say everything and nothing at all, putting on a show for everyone who knew that Obi-Wan and Padmé had already had a discussion on the battle.

Politics.

Such a horrible thing.

And he was considered part of the Imperial family now, so he had to play the part.

Anakin glanced at him and carefully kept all amusement from his face as the next being approached. Padmé, of course, was doing her perfect impression of an emotionless ruler, and didn't appear to have noticed.

Obi-Wan hated this sort of thing.


	2. Chapter 2

Prompt for this chapter:Obi-Wan and Ahsoka playing with tiny Luke and Leia in Custos?

* * *

She glanced down at her wristchrono and frowned. The twins and their guards should be in the garden right now, but she couldn't feel them. She entered and looked around. No one was there. Was this why she had been called to the garden?

Her eyes narrowed as she saw the swing still moving in the still air. The twins had been here, and very recently. That meant they probably still were. She looked around again, and smiled slowly. Seek the Hider was a game all Jedi played in the temple. A Master would teach the Younglings how to hide their presence, then have a Knight try to find them. Usually, of course, the Knight knew about it in advance.

It seemed Obi-Wan wanted to surprise her.

She looked up. "Obi-Wan, I know what you're up to," she said.

His chuckle echoed around the garden and she couldn't pin down the location. Another easy trick.

"Can't you find us?" Obi-Wan asked. She didn't even try to locate where his voice was coming from.

Luke started giggling, but he quickly imitated Obi-Wan's use of the Force and she couldn't tell where he was.

Oh, they were good. Most Younglings would lose control within a few minutes. She'd have to find them physically, though she wouldn't give up on sweeping through the Force to find them.

She started at the swing- no. She could see the fading Force impression that meant Obi-Wan had pushed it just before she arrived. "Cute," she commented.

"I thought so," Obi-Wan replied.

More giggles. This time she managed to catch a hint of which way to go. She turned to the left and followed the trace, only to catch sight of one of Padmé's handmaidens. "Are you part of the game?" Ahsoka asked.

"Not really," Ellé said as she looked up from her bookpad. "I think General Kenobi is hiding us in the Force, but we're just here as guards, like usual."

"Oh, he is," Ahsoka said. She glanced around. "Any hints?"

Ellé smiled. "No," she said as she returned to her reading.

Ahsoka chuckled. Ok then. She continued a spiral search pattern, periodically taunting Obi-Wan or listening to his taunts and listening to the children giggle. Each interaction got her a little closer to finding them. The twins were strong in the Force, but they were only six, and it would take time for them to have the control necessary to keep this exercise up.

Still, ten minutes and counting was very, very good for the first game of Seek the Hider. She smiled as she remembered her first time playing the game. She'd lasted five minutes, the longest in her group. She'd been about the same age the twins were.

"Come now, Padawan Tano. Don't tell me that you can't find us," Obi-Wan called out.

Giggling again, and she turned sharply. There. One of the twins- she couldn't really tell which right now- had lost control and she had them. Still, she didn't speed up as she answered. "Of course I can find you, Master Kenobi," she said, deliberately bringing up their old ranks, just as Obi-Wan had. "In fact…" she reached out and grabbed Luke, picking him up and tickling him as soon as she had a good grip on him.

"NO!" Luke shrieked in laughter.

Leia charged forward and toppled her over, and now both twins were trying to tickle her. She started to laugh and retaliated.

Obi-Wan released his own shields and started laughing himself.

Finally, Ahsoka managed to get the twins to stop, and lay on the ground, the twins on top of her, with Obi-Wan sitting next to them. "Good job, younglings," Obi-Wan said quietly. "Did you have fun?"

"Yes!" Leia exclaimed.

"I wanna do it again!" Luke yelled- right in Ahsoka's ear. She controlled her flinch in favor of a sharp grin.

"We should try it with Anakin," Obi-Wan said.

Luke and Leia apparently liked that idea, if the way they bounced off Ahsoka and started running around and trying to find hiding places was any indication.

"We'll warn Anakin, though," Ahsoka said. "He's paranoid about their safety."

"Not unjustly paranoid," Obi-Wan said. "But yes, we'll warn him."

Ahsoka relaxed and watched as the twins ran around. "Thank you," she said. "That was fun."


	3. Chapter 3

I realized today that I hadn't uploaded this here yet. I have two short fics for you- I'll upload the other sometime this week.

Prompt: In the Custos Universe, why did Anakin kill Palpatine?

Oh boy. This one is actually something I've been thinking about for a while now. Why would Anakin, an Anakin who hasn't been betrayed (well, he thinks it's betrayal in canon) by Obi-Wan and Padmé, an Anakin who hasn't lost everything when he joined Palpatine, an Anakin who still trusts Palpatine, kill his Sith Master?

He'd need a reason, of course. And Palpatine ends up giving it to him. Boy howdy does Palpatine give him a reason.

* * *

Darth Vader clenched his fist tight as he stared at the text he'd been studying. He hadn't particularly wanted to study it, but Lord Sidious had said he might find it interesting. He had, though he doubted his Master liked the conclusion he was coming to.

The manuscript- originally written on actual paper, but copied onto non-degradable flimsy long ago- was one on Sith Mind Control Techniques. Anakin Skywalker hadn't liked the Jedi Mind Trick, and he hadn't changed his opinion on mind control since Turning.

But his Master wanted him to learn, so learn he would.

Or… he would have, until he came to this particular technique. He turned to the holocron he'd been given and used the sudden flare of anger to open it up. He had to know for sure. He had to be certain.

"Lord Vader," the holocron's guardian greeted.

"Lady Phobos" Vader replied. "I need to know something. Can you tell me what it feels like in the Force for someone who is under the Mal-ek technique?"

Her eyes widened. "Well. I didn't know that was still in use."

"I'm not sure it is, Lady Phobos."

"But you think it might be, young Sith."

Vader nodded, anger sparking higher. "It might be," he said.

The Mal-ek was, if he was reading it right, a way to permanently change a being's beliefs. A Sith could take the being, and twist their thoughts so they matched the Sith's. It was utterly horrifying to Lord Vader. And completely terrifying, because it was making him think, and think hard.

Think about Padmé, and her stubborn opposition to Palpatine's policies in the last few years of the Republic. Padmé, and her opposition to Palpatine's plans up until two days before Anakin had turned. Padmé, and her sudden change of mind, her sudden desire to throw her support behind Palaptine.

At the time, Anakin had merely thought that Padmé had chosen to be opposition to Palaptine in order to help him along, until the time was right. After all, if one knew where the opposition would be coming from, one could plan for it. But now…

Now, he wondered. And he needed to know.

Lady Phobos smirked, probably at his anger. "Well, that document is a little incomplete, Lord Vader," she said. "There are two ways to break Mal-ek. The first is to kill the one who placed it. If that does not work, and often it doesn't, the second is to kill the one who is controlled by it. In their dying breaths, they will be free."

The denial was instant and instinctive. Lady Phobos blinked. "Well, you don't like that idea," she mused. "Very well, for whoever it is that you think might be under Mal-ek, I can show you how to look."

"Thank you, milady," Vader replied.

* * *

Vader returned home, and, just as he always did, stopped in the entryway to let go of his anger. It didn't disappear- it never did- but he had long ago promised himself he'd never be controlled by his anger when he was around his wife and children.

Just as he always did when he arrived home, he thought he caught a hint of Obi-Wan Kenobi's presence. And, just as he always did, he dismissed the thought. Obi-Wan was dead, killed by Jedi in revenge for his former Padawan's actions. If Anakin felt him, it was only because he used Obi-Wan's teachings to calm down from a distressing day. It was the only way to have Obi-Wan with him, and a way to honor the only Jedi worth honoring.

Anakin entered the rest of the apartment. Immediately, he was nearly ran down by two almost three-year-olds. Just like normal. He let their happy chatter rush over him as he picked them both up and settled them on his hips.

Padmé wasn't home yet, so he shut down the nanny droid, and then moved around the apartment, getting the twins calmed down, programming the chef droid to make dinner, all the things he normally did when he got home before Padmé.

"Da?" Leia asked him after he set them down on the couch with some puzzle cubes. "You're all red inside."

Luke nodded in agreement.

Anakin sighed. His children were entirely too perceptive for their age. "I got some upsetting news today," he said. "Don't worry, I won't stay red."

"Like when you say anger is stronger, but too much is bad?" Luke lisped.

Anakin nodded. "Exactly. I'm making sure it's not too much right now."

Luke nodded, and turned his attention to the puzzle cube. Leia eyed him for a moment longer before nodding as well.

Anakin didn't even try to suppress the fond smile. Leia was so much like her mother, it was scary sometimes.

And speaking of, Padmé was home. Anakin knew what he had to do… but it could wait. Tonight, after the twins were asleep, so he wouldn't frighten them if his suspicions were true and he lost his temper.

* * *

Vader stormed into the throne room, dispatching the guards with the wave of his hand. "Your rule ends now, Sidious," he growled, focusing on channeling his anger and hate, so he didn't make a stupid mistake and lose this fight.

Sidious stood up from his throne, apparently surprised by his apprentice's actions. "And what, Lord Vader, is the meaning of this?"

"Mal-ek, Lord Sidious," Vader sneered. He drew and lit his lightsaber as he did so.

Sidious didn't even pretend to misunderstand. "So you finally learned the truth, Lord Vader. Are you sure you want to kill me? As she was, Padmé Amidala would never have supported the Empire." He allowed his own lightsaber to fall into his hands and

"And it would have been her choice!" Vader snapped, bringing his lightsaber up to guard his torso.

Sidious laughed, mockingly. "Oh, Vader. Still so hung up on choice."

"Enough," Vader snapped. He wasn't about to let Sidious tie him up with words. He lunged forward.

The fight was brutal and nothing like any other fight in Vader's life. In the end, though, Sidious was dead. Palaptine was dead. Vader took a deep breath as he felt the mantle of Sith Master settle on him, before turning on his comlink. "Padmé, are you alright?" he asked urgently.

Padmé answered, sounding confused. "Yes, of course. Is something wrong, Anakin?"

Vader sighed. "Can you come to the throne room? I need you here." He was certain that it hadn't worked, just from the way she had answered him. He sighed and bowed his head before changing the channel on the comlink.

By the time Padmé made it from her office to the throne room, a small gathering of officials were already waiting for her.

Vader lifted his head as she came in. He'd been right. The Mal-ek was still implanted in her mind. She'd only truly be free of it with her death. "The Emperor summoned me earlier," he said, the story he had planned to tell everyone else. He'd tell Padmé the truth later. "But I arrived, and I could feel a Jedi in the palace. I rushed up here, but I was too late."

He straightened, before stepping down to kneel before his wife. "The Emperor is dead. Long live the Empress."

He'd find some way to free her, somehow. For now, she would be the Empress, and with Sidious dead, her decisions could become more her own. It would have to be enough, until he could remove the Mal-ek, and she could return fully to her own beliefs.

* * *

Yeah. I suppose Sidious basically mentally enslaving Padmé would do it.

This got a lot darker than I expected for Custos, but it does solve another problem I've been pondering- why would Padmé be Empress?

Oh, by the way, I completely made up Mal-ek. If there's a Sith Mind Control Technique in canon, I don't know about it. But Mal-ek seems pretty horrifying in and of itself.

(And yes, Anakin did indeed feel Obi-Wan when he arrived home. Obi-Wan has already started guarding Luke and Leia at this point in time, though the galaxy believes he's dead.)


	4. Chapter 4

Canon Meets Custos

So. This is what I write when I'm on a blast of meds to get the allergies under control. Once I was back to just maintenance (today), I went back over it. And you know, it's a little weird, but it's not that bad. (Biggest change I had to make was fix the word "like". Apparently, when I'm drugged, I spell it "luke". Yes, lowercase and all

Post ROTJ timeframe, and the same time frame for the Custos universe.

* * *

Empress Padmé Amidala studied the three humans as they were brought into the throne room. She didn't want to call them prisoners, because they weren't quite that, but they also weren't guests.

The three of them looked so much like Luke, Leia, and Han, she didn't know what to think. They had, quite literally from both witness reports and security recordings, appeared in the center of the grand hall. They'd almost immediately fled, and led the security forces on quite a long chase. But they'd finally been run down, and now they just needed to determine what was going on.

Her family arranged themselves as they normally did during formal audiences- Luke on her right, Leia next to him and Han next to Leia, and Anakin on her right, and Obi-Wan next to Anakin.

The one who looked like Luke was studying Anakin and Obi-Wan. The one that looked like Han was studying her, and the Leia look alike was studying her children and son-in-law.

Luke and Han- the look-a-likes- shifted so they were flanking their Leia.

"Who are you and where are we?" The fake Leia asked, voice clear, with a subtle Alderannian accent.

Padmé didn't scowl. "I could ask you the same question," she replied.

Leia- and whoever this girl was, she was so very like Padmé's daughter- merely lifted her chin in defiance.

Padmé flicked her eyes at her husband, who returned the glance.

"Very well," Padmé said. "An exchange. Introductions for introductions."

The girl glanced at the two men accompanying her, then nodded. "Agreed," she said.

Padmé smiled slightly. "I am Empress Padmé Amidala, second ruler of the Galactic Empire. On my left is my husband, Emperor-Consort Anakin Skywalker. On his other side is his bond brother, General Obi-Wan Kenobi." She paused as the Luke-look alike nodded once, very slowly.

"On my left is my eldest and heir, Crown Prince Luke Skywalker. Next to him is his twin sister, Princess Leia Skywalker Solo. She is escorted by her husband, Prince-Consort Han Solo."

The woman in front of them took a deep breath. She looked startled as she studied Padmé for a moment. Beside her, the Luke lookalike was doing the same.

The Han lookalike gently placed his hand on her shoulder, and she shook herself. "I am Leia Organa Solo, last Princess of Alderaan, Senator in the New Republic, Jedi Trainee. Beside me is my husband, General Han Solo of the New Republic Armed Forces, hero of Yavin, hero of Endor. On my other side is my brother, Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker, Hero of Yavin, destroyer of the Death Star, avenger of Alderaan."

Anakin flicked his hand out and Padmé nodded, allowing him to come forward. "The Jedi were evil," he said.

Leia Organa looked at her brother, who lifted his head. "I would expect you to say that…" he paused, then took a deep breath. "Lord Vader." His accent was much like Anakin's had been, pure Tatooine.

Ah. Padmé hadn't been sure if these strange versions of her children would even know about the Sith.

"So, the Sith exist in your world as well."

"They existed," Organa corrected with a vicious smile. "You killed your Master, and then died doing it," she said.

"Leia," Skywalker said gently. "This man, clearly, isn't the same man who tortured you and Han and cut off my hand."

Padmé froze.

"What?" Anakin barked out.

Skywalker turned. "You heard me. Our father was evil, Lord Vader. Like all Sith. He and his master destroyed of the Jedi. There were only two known survivors by the time I was an adult- Master Yoda, and Obi-Wan Kenobi." He paused, and glanced at Obi-Wan. "They taught me, and kept my sister and I safe from Lord Vader and the Emperor."

"So… what changed?" Han asked. Her daughter's husband had a talent for getting down to the meat of the problem. "Why are things different?"

"Organa," Obi-Wan said suddenly. "You were raised by Bail Organa."

Organa Solo nodded. "We don't know the details, but our father turned, our mother died- we think- and we were separated. Luke was taken to our aunt and uncle on Tatooine, and I was raised by Bail and Breha Organa."

* * *

And that's what I've written. I'm fairly certain that nothing will come of this, and I'm not going to write more on it. (I doubt I could write any more of this.) But I thought you might like to see it.


	5. Chapter 5

Prompt: Anakin and Obi-Wan have a "guys night out." Coruscant, Naboo, or plant of authors choice will never be the same.

This actually takes place a few years after everything else I've written so far in the Custos universe. Luke and Leia are eight, it's been two years since Obi-Wan revealed himself. That doesn't matter too much, except it provides the perfect excuse for Obi-Wan and Anakin to be antsy and wanting to get away from Coruscant.

* * *

Anakin Skywalker- Darth Vader- smirked as he looked over at Obi-Wan Kenobi. The two of them were playing hooky from their official positions, taking a short break on Muunilinst. It was Padmé, in her official capacity as Empress, had told them to take a break, away from the pomp and circumstance of the official celebrations of five years of her rule.

Anakin would need to return soon, to fulfill his ceremonial role as the Emperor-Consort, but for now, he could take a break with his brother.

"The Drall," Obi-Wan said as he tilted his head to indicate the small group they had been watching.

"No, it's the Bothan," Anakin disagreed. He took a drink of his ale.

Obi-Wan just lifted an eyebrow. "Perhaps," he said. "But I'm sure it's the Drall."

Anakin shrugged and let it go. They were currently in disguise, just watching the beings in the dive bar they had found. Honestly, it was almost like old times.

Anakin smirked again. Well, except for the fact that if someone attacked them, they'd be lucky to escape with their lives.

Obi-Wan eyed him, probably following his thoughts. He opened his mouth to say something when someone plowed into their table and knocked their drinks over.

They both leaned back to avoid the Twi'lek's flailing limbs. "Such a wonderful place you've found us, little brother," Obi-Wan said.

"I'm taller than you," Anakin reminded him.

"And yet, still younger." Obi-Wan pushed the Twi'lek up and away from their table. "Your turn, I believe," he added.

Anakin was about to get up to get the next round when someone shoved him from behind. "Yer at our table," a low human voice growled.

Obi-Wan's eyes lit up as Anakin turned around slowly and stood up to his full height. He eyed the half dozen men and woman who were arrayed behind him. "I don't see any names on it," he said. "And we were here first."

The man in front laughed. "Oh, a tough guy!" he mocked. "And I bet you think you can take us all on."

Anakin could hear as Obi-Wan stood up. The music was dying as the band apparently realized there was going to be a fight. Anakin risked a quick glance around. Everyone was watching with the fascination most beings gave to speeder wrecks. And no one thought Obi-Wan and Anakin stood a chance. Wasn't everyone going to be surprised.

"Do you even know who I am?" the man demanded.

Anakin eyed him before dismissing him. "A jumped up piece of poodoo who thinks he's a big deal?" he asked. Behind him, Obi-Wan sighed, but Anakin could tell the other man wanted this fight as much as Anakin did. It would be too easy, but they needed to blow off some steam.

The man roared and charged at him, followed by his thugs. Anakin allowed one punch to land, before he started fighting back. Quickly, Obi-Wan shoved the table aside and they put themselves back to back.

The fight was too easy, but Anakin was in no hurry for it to end. Neither was Obi-Wan. They didn't add any power to their hits, and taunted the other fighters when they couldn't land any of their own.

The other fighters frustration and anger was wonderful and Vader soaked it up. Obi-Wan was doing the same thing, until finally, the fallen Jedi caught one of the punches aimed at his head, and twisted. The woman cried out in pain as her arm was broken.

That changed the fight almost immediately. Obi-Wan and Vader sped up and started taking out the other fighters with easy.

Finally, Vader caught the last fighter by the arm and flipped him over. "Stay down," he ordered, allowing just the barest hint of the Dark Side to leak into his voice.

Vader looked down at the six fighters on the floor. Five of them were dead.

Obi-Wan, who barely looked ruffled, was eyeing the frightened beings watching them.

"Let's go," Vader said.

Obi-Wan shrugged. "These were barely worth the time," he agreed.

They walked out of the bar, the fear and relief of the patrons following them out.

* * *

Obi-Wan smirked as he and Anakin strolled through the night. He closed his eyes for a moment as he soaked in the Dark feelings in this bad part of town. "We should do this more often," he said.

"With what time?" Anakin asked. "We're lucky my wife kicked us out."

Obi-Wan nodded. "True. But there's something about the…" he gestured, trying to find the words to what he was feeling.

"Yes," Vader agreed. "It's different, back home, where everyone knows who we are, and what we can do. But seeing confidence turn to fear that way is intoxicating, isn't it?"

Obi-Wan smiled. Behind them, someone screamed. Before, Obi-Wan would have tried to help whoever was screaming, but now, he just listened.

"Shall we?" Vader asked, gesturing to the building they had realized was a slaver's hideout earlier.

"A little mayhem is always a good idea," Obi-Wan agreed.

They slipped into the building and Obi-Wan smiled. A little mayhem indeed.

The slavers wouldn't even know what had killed them.

* * *

So, a Sith and fallen Jedi have a "guy's night out", and the planet is still intact at the end. I'm pretty sure the Force had to have intervened. (Probably put the slavers right there for Vader and Obi-Wan to take out.)


End file.
